Michelle Walvoord
(She/her)Michelle Walvoord is a Research Hydrologist in the Earth System Processes Division of the Water Resources Mission Area.
Dr. Michelle A. Walvoord is a hydrogeologist whose current research focuses on understanding hydrologic response to climate change and wildfire disturbance. With expertise in non-isothermal, multiphase subsurface flow and transport, she has led a variety of process-based vadose zone and groundwater studies in systems ranging from mid-latitude deserts to high-latitude boreal forests. Her research relies on a blend of field, statistical, and physics-based modeling approaches and typically intersects with multiple disciplines including biogeochemistry, ecology, and geophysics.
Professional Experience
Research Hydrologist, USGS Earth System Processes Division, Denver, CO (2017 – present)
Research Hydrologist, USGS National Research Program, Denver, CO (2004-2017)
National Academy of Sciences Postdoctoral Research Associate, Denver, CO (2002-2004)
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Science, New Mexico Tech
M.S. in Hydrology, New Mexico Tech
B.A. in Geology, Hamilton College
Affiliations and Memberships*
Affiliate Faculty, Geology and Geological Engineering Dept., Colorado School of Mines (2016 – present)
Graduate Faculty Appointment, Geological Sciences Dept., University of Colorado, Boulder (2016 – present)
Associate Faculty, Université Laval (2021 – present)
Member of the USGS Water Mission Area’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Employee Leadership Team (2022-present)
Member of the American Geophysical Union Hydrology Section’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee (2021-present)
Board of Directors, United States Permafrost Association (2021-2022)
Associate Editor, Water Resources Research (2015 – present)
Associate Editor, Hydrogeology Journal (2014-2017)
Member of the Terrestrial Multidisciplinary distributed Observatories for the Study of Arctic Connection (t-MOSAIC) Land-Water Processes Action Group (2019 – present)
Science Steering Committee, Permafrost Action Team for the National Science Foundation’s Study of Environmental Arctic Change Project (SEARCH) (2015 – present)
Science Advisory Board, USGS Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis (2015 – 2019)
Honors and Awards
Woo Distinguished Lecture in Hydrology, Canadian Geophysical Union, 2022
Outstanding Woman in Science Award, Geological Society of America, 2005
Langmuir Award for Excellence in Research, New Mexico Tech, 2004
Science and Products
Susceptibility to enhanced chemical migration from depression-focused preferential flow, High Plains aquifer
Transport of elemental mercury in the unsaturated zone from a waste disposal site in an arid region
Focused ground-water recharge in the Amargosa Desert Basin
Widespread natural perchlorate in unsaturated zones of the southwest United States
Increased groundwater to stream discharge from permafrost thawing in the Yukon River basin: Potential impacts on lateral export of carbon and nitrogen
Multiphase, multicomponent parameter estimation for liquid and vapor fluxes in deep arid systems using hydrologic data and natural environmental tracers
CO2 dynamics in the Amargosa Desert: Fluxes and isotopic speciation in a deep unsaturated zone
Ecohydrological control of deep drainage in arid and semiarid regions
Effects of environmental change on groundwater recharge in the Desert Southwest
Hydrologic processes in deep vadose zones in interdrainage arid environments
Enhanced gas-phase transport in a deep unsaturated zone, Amargosa Desert (U.S.A.)
Monitoring radionuclide contamination in the unsaturated zone - Lessons learned at the Amargosa Desert Research Site, Nye County, Nevada
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Susceptibility to enhanced chemical migration from depression-focused preferential flow, High Plains aquifer
Transport of elemental mercury in the unsaturated zone from a waste disposal site in an arid region
Focused ground-water recharge in the Amargosa Desert Basin
Widespread natural perchlorate in unsaturated zones of the southwest United States
Increased groundwater to stream discharge from permafrost thawing in the Yukon River basin: Potential impacts on lateral export of carbon and nitrogen
Multiphase, multicomponent parameter estimation for liquid and vapor fluxes in deep arid systems using hydrologic data and natural environmental tracers
CO2 dynamics in the Amargosa Desert: Fluxes and isotopic speciation in a deep unsaturated zone
Ecohydrological control of deep drainage in arid and semiarid regions
Effects of environmental change on groundwater recharge in the Desert Southwest
Hydrologic processes in deep vadose zones in interdrainage arid environments
Enhanced gas-phase transport in a deep unsaturated zone, Amargosa Desert (U.S.A.)
Monitoring radionuclide contamination in the unsaturated zone - Lessons learned at the Amargosa Desert Research Site, Nye County, Nevada
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government